Chapter 55: Moving House

It was only at dinner that Mu Yu finally understood the world-weariness etched across his father's face.

“Oh, eat more, you’ve gotten so thin from working so hard out there,” Zhang Haiyan said, placing another chicken leg atop the mound of rice in Mu Yu’s bowl, her words full of concern.

“No, Mom, I’ve actually put on weight recently.”

In the past, Mu Yu would have already been clutching his stomach, kneeling on the floor alongside Wangcai and Fatty, but now his appetite had grown so much that he was even thinking about having another bowl of rice.

“Look how famished my son is. He must have suffered a lot outside,” Zhang Haiyan sighed, watching Mu Yu wolf down his food. She remembered how he used to complain that her cooking wasn't good enough, but after a few years of eating in canteens, he finally understood the magic of his mother’s culinary skills.

“What’s so hard about sitting in an office all day?” Mu Weiguo muttered, sneaking his chopsticks toward the plate of braised chicken legs.

Smack!

“Ow! That hurts!”

Zhang Haiyan smirked as she watched Mu Weiguo rub his reddened wrist, the chopstick mark glaringly obvious.

“With your blood pressure as high as it is, don’t you know better? Here, steamed broccoli—made just for you!”

She set a large plate of plain, barely salted broccoli in front of Mu Weiguo, so bland even Wangcai wouldn’t touch it.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk… what a difference,” Mu Weiguo lamented, glancing at Mu Yu, who was burying his face in his bowl like a little piglet.

Still, he didn’t complain. Years of working on construction sites meant endless social gatherings, and while it was fine when he was young, age had brought high blood pressure and cholesterol creeping in relentlessly.

In the past, Zhang Haiyan would have tried to make the vegetables more palatable, but this time, after being away for so long, only the plain broccoli remained.

“All right, out with it—what’s the real reason you called me back this time? Don’t tell me you’ve actually committed some crime?”

Enduring a tasteless lunch, Mu Weiguo wasted no time after the meal, pulling Mu Yu upstairs to the study, ignoring Zhang Haiyan’s puzzled look.

He had already made up his mind—if Mu Yu didn’t have a good enough reason, it was time to see if that old Seven Wolves belt of his was still sturdy after all these years.

Of course, it was purely to teach his son a lesson about life’s hardships—not at all out of spite.

“What’s with all the strange questions? You and Mom really do react the same way.”

Mu Yu rubbed his stomach, complaining. To avoid alarming his family, he’d only eaten half his fill, yet even so, his mother and grandmother nearly thought he’d been starving away from home.

“Sigh, I know your temperament well enough. You’re always so well-behaved—if you ever get in trouble, it must be big.”

Mu Weiguo lit a cigarette, gazing at his son sitting upright before him, and couldn’t help but sigh.

“Actually, even if you hadn’t called, I would’ve come home soon anyway—there are things to take care of… How’s Xiaoqing lately?”

“She’s great! Before I came home, I even asked someone to look after her. Don’t worry, as long as I have a bowl of soup, she’ll have a bowl of rice.”

Mu Yu thumped his chest emphatically. What a thing to ask.

“That’s good. She’ll probably have to stay with you for a while.”

Mu Weiguo frowned, exhaling a long plume of smoke. Mu Yu hadn’t seen his father look like this in a long time—the last time was when Mu Yu had a severe allergic reaction and almost died.

“Your aunt has been divorced for over a decade now. It hasn’t been easy raising Xiaoqing on her own. Last time, she told me she’s found someone to marry.”

“She’s getting remarried? That’s wonderful! Auntie shouldn’t stay alone forever.”

Mu Yu was puzzled. Their family wasn’t old-fashioned; they should be happy Auntie had found her happiness. Why did Dad look so troubled?

“That’s not the problem… To tell you the truth, your aunt never told her fiancé she has a child.”

Mu Weiguo explained with a bitter smile, and Mu Yu’s expression darkened immediately. What did that mean? Was she abandoning Mu Qing?

“Isn’t Mu Qing’s name on the household registry? How is she going to explain that?”

“That’s why I came home.”

Guilt and embarrassment flickered across Mu Weiguo’s face. For the first time in years, he felt he owed his son.

“I couldn’t refuse your aunt’s repeated pleas, so I agreed to transfer Mu Qing’s household registration to our family. You know, we may not be related by blood, but we grew up together. I just…”

Indeed, there was no blood relation. Both Mu Weiguo and Zhang Haiyan were only children—Mu Yu couldn’t possibly have an aunt or a cousin.

Mu Qing’s mother had been Mu Weiguo’s neighbor since childhood, but their families were so close that when Mu Yu was born, he was told to call her Auntie.

The room fell into a long silence. Both men stared ahead, lost in thought, the only movement the glowing ember of Mu Weiguo’s cigarette.

“So what did Mom say?”

In the end, it was Mu Yu who broke the silence. This was no small matter; it wasn’t enough for just him and Dad to agree—his mother would have the final say.

“She… agreed in principle.”

Seeing the bitterness on his father’s face, Mu Yu realized the boiled broccoli had not been in vain.

Letting someone unrelated join the family household would make anyone uncomfortable, no matter how generous Zhang Haiyan was. Mu Weiguo felt so guilty he barely dared come home lately.

“Don’t worry, once Mu Qing comes of age, her registration will be transferred out. It won’t affect you.”

Noticing Mu Yu deep in thought, Mu Weiguo hurried to add that this was a family matter—if even one person objected, it couldn’t be done.

“What are you thinking? I get along with Xiao Qing so well, of course I agree. I’m just wondering how to break it to her.”

Although Mu Qing always acted carefree, she was actually very sensitive. Having gone through her parents’ divorce as a child, Mu Yu worried she wouldn’t take it well.

“You should talk to her. She listens to you more than to us—it’ll go better coming from you.”

Relief washed over Mu Weiguo at Mu Yu’s words, and he stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray. He hadn't really smoked much, but when nervous, he always lit one just to hold.

“All right, what did you want to talk to me about?”

“Dad, do you believe there are things in this world unlike humans?”

Mu Yu had originally wanted to say “monsters,” but after touching his chest, he changed his wording.

“Wait, you dragged me home just to ask this?”

Mu Weiguo looked at him in disbelief, his hand unconsciously moving toward his belt, but remembering his son was a grown man, he restrained the itch in his right hand.

“UFOs, the Loch Ness Monster—don’t think your dad doesn’t keep up with the internet, even with all his time on construction sites.”

“That’s not what I mean… Take a look at these first.”

Mu Yu had never intended to keep secrets from his family. Whether for his own convenience or for their safety, it was necessary to reveal some things.

From his luggage, Mu Yu pulled out a file and a property certificate, pushing them across the table to his father.

Mu Weiguo opened them with a bemused smile, curious what sort of trick his son had come up with. He didn’t mind if Mu Yu was a bit foolish, as long as he wasn’t foolish and duped.

But as he opened the gilt-edged certificate and saw Mu Yu’s spirited photo, his demeanor grew serious and he straightened in his seat.

He flipped through the property deed, work ID, and a confidentiality agreement dozens of pages thick. The more he read, the graver his expression became. Except for some incomplete information on the property deed, everything else was flawless.

Having seen much in his years, Mu Weiguo scrutinized the embossed gold patterns and anti-counterfeit marks—there wasn’t a single flaw.

“Wait here, I’m making a call.”

Mu Weiguo glanced at his dim-witted son, hesitated, then took the documents into another room.

“Hello, is this Director Tai? This is Mu Weiguo—we met at that dinner last time.”

“Oh, yes, I remember. What can I do for you?”

Tai Shanhou responded casually to the unfamiliar voice. In truth, he had no memory of Mu Weiguo at all—people came to see him every day, enough to fill his office, so why remember a mere acquaintance?

He signaled his secretary, who would soon step in to announce an urgent meeting, giving him the perfect excuse to end the call—this trick never failed.

At his level, one only hoped to avoid mistakes, not to rack up achievements. Even if his own son called for a favor, Tai Shanhou would give him a slap and tell him to get lost.

“I’m sorry to trouble you, but my son brought home a badge today. I’m worried he’s been swindled, so I was hoping you could help verify it.”

Mu Weiguo spoke humbly, knowing this was a sudden and awkward request, and might leave a bad impression. Still, for his son’s sake, he was willing to risk some social capital.

“Oh? What kind of badge?”

“Seems to be a police ID—position listed as… Investigator?”

The breathing on the other end of the line suddenly grew heavy, followed by a long silence.

Mu Weiguo stood awkwardly with the phone, unsure whether he should hang up. Why had he believed his son’s nonsense? Now he’d embarrassed himself completely.

“Director Tai, you have a meeting to chair soon. Should I—”

Hearing the secretary’s voice on the line, Mu Weiguo inexplicably felt relieved and hurried to speak.

“If you’re busy, I won’t—”

“Busy? What busy? Xiao Li, reschedule the meeting—I’m chatting with Brother Mu here! Can’t you see? Use your eyes for once.”

“An investigator, you say? My, my, my nephew is quite accomplished now! Old friend, there should be a number on the badge, right?”

Mu Weiguo, still a bit bewildered, quickly opened the badge and indeed found a small, archaic “6” engraved in one corner.

“Yes, there’s a six in the corner. Director Tai, do you think it’s real?”

“Brother Mu! Don’t be so formal—just call me Xiao Tai!”

Li, the secretary, watched as Tai Shanhou, his face flushed with excitement, stood up from his seat, and couldn’t help but twitch the corner of his mouth.